S.O.S. (...on a shingle): Way or No Way?
It can be made with chipped beef, ground beef, corned beef, cream sauce or even mayo, served on toast? I think the appeal is that it can feed thousands cheaply? I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure.......or pain? Military haven't had a choice, I gather? Some love it, some hate it. Maybe if you added some bacon, I might like it. I'm gonna have to go No Way on this one.
What's your experience? Got a good recipe?
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62 Comments:
Oh Perk, you've taken me back to my childhood. Fondly.
Actually, that was one of my first posts.
My mom was a nurse and worked 2 nights a week. Those nights Daddy was in charge of dinner. One of his go-to meals was SOS; having been in the service. I also believe that my father is a big fan of "low food". He grew up during the depression and was in the Army and was always eager to cook and feed us things like pan haas (scrapple to you, he's German), SOS, homemade sausage or jerky, there are many more. We loved SOS as kids and I know a HUGE part of it was the name. I was reminded of it a couple of years ago and my boys thought it was too funny for words and wanted it. They love it.
I make for them now if they really beg, and Bill and I eat something else.
So, Way and almost No Way.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 1:20AM on 01/29/09
WAY. Being a military brat, I was brought up on this stuff...ground beef, flour rouxed into the drippings and served over toast. I haven't had the beef version since my younger days but did love it. My current love is 'creamed' tuna, a cream sauce made with butter, flour, milk, salt and pepper and I add in drained albacore tuna and frozen peas. Served over hot buttered biscuits. My kids grew up with me making it and request it at least once a month.
lamora at 1:26AM on 01/29/09
Way, actually. Although it's much better on mashed potatoes.
Make a roux of flour and butter. Thin with milk to a gravy consistency. Add sliced ham, pepper, salt, and maybe a bit of green can cheese food. Pour over mashed taters and EAT.
nightowl at 2:28AM on 01/29/09
Brings back memories of my dad (not gone yet physically, but mentally) - he would get the little wafery beef in the jar and my mom would make the white gravy for it when the two of us were going to be gone on a weekend leaving him to fend for himself. I never did try it, as a kid I thought it smelled like unwashed humans!
So a parental WAY but a personal NO WAY...
cowprintrabbit at 2:36AM on 01/29/09
Talk about comfort food. I totally remember my mom making this in a cast iron pan. Those were the days. So, way. Hell yes.
meg3j at 4:58AM on 01/29/09
Ps. Totally had no idea that it had a name.
meg3j at 4:59AM on 01/29/09
Way. In two staple forms: ground beef in roux as described above, with the caveat of lots of black pepper, over mashed or boiled then fork smashed, then garnished with a healthy dose of diced, raw onion. Second: the chipped beef version that comes in that ubiquitous red box in the freezer case, also with lots o' pepper, over hot buttered toast cut into small squares.
Am also a huge fan of the tuna or salt cod in cream sauce, but never thought of those as variations on the SOS theme...a limitation of my imagination, I guess.
BobbieAnne at 5:39AM on 01/29/09
WAY! One of my most favorite meals that Daddy cooked, and there were only a handful. Wish I had his recipe, too late for that now. The closest I've come is the red box in the freezer section also. Anyone have a good one for the chipped beef version? Do you use the dried beef in a jar, or softer version in the plastic bags hanging in the in the lunch meat section? Thanks.
Karencooks at 6:25AM on 01/29/09
WAY! When I was little (40's in Pennsylvania) "creamed hamburg" on toast was one of our standard breakfasts (creamed dried beef less often). It is one of my standard comfort foods. Just had it for dinner (actually I still call it supper) two nights ago after a tough day.
@Karencooks: this in how I make it, and how my mother made it: Crumble ground beef in a cast iron skillet. I use 80/20 chuck for good flavor. As soon as it loses its red color sprinkle with flour (I use Wondra these days) and stir it until you see no flour. Keeping stirring to brown the flour a bit but don't burn. Add whole milk and let simmer for about 10 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. Add salt and lots of ground pepper. Serve on toast on a warmed plate.
With the dried beef, I use the kind from the jar, torn into bits. Because it is fairly lean, melt some butter in the skillet first. At the end be careful with the salt as the beef is pretty salty.
I never heard the SOS name until I was grown even though my dad had a foul mouth. Maybe that name came out of the military.
Blue Iris at 6:46AM on 01/29/09
Way, and add me to the list who's never heard the phrase SOS!
My mom makes her own chipped beef, and I'm pretty much a fan of any open faced sandwich on toast, welsh rarebit, hot turkey, roast beef, chicken a la king. Oddly enough I usually can't stand wet, soggy bread but I do enjoy the open faced eats!
bobcatsteph3 at 7:08AM on 01/29/09
The one and only time I had it was at the Hale Koa Hotel, a hotel in Waikiki for military. My mother and I happened to be in the neighborhood so we stopped in. It was good, but I kept thinking that the thick creamy sauce over chipped beef would have tasted better over rice than over Texas toast -- then again, I prefer rice >>> bread.
Cassaendra at 7:31AM on 01/29/09
WAY! My dad makes fabulous SOS.
izatryt at 7:33AM on 01/29/09
Mais oui! S.O.S. rocks....
Pavlov at 7:42AM on 01/29/09
I never liked it growing up, reminded me way too much of my mom's big lunch splurge (soggy limp canned asparagus on toast) Anyway, fast forward (Never you mind how many years) SO's mom, maker of Goop, fixed this one day. It was actually pretty decent, so when we got home, I decided to play with the idea and made some, SO now demands it at least twice a month, and has even gotten used to having it made with soy milk. so WAY although I like it over biscuits or potatoes.
huneybumper at 8:16AM on 01/29/09
Oh yum! My mom used to make this with chipped beef (the kind in the little bags, not jar). I still make it every now and then with tuna and peas, or sometimes even just peas. Has to be over buttered toast for me.
deetroitMI at 8:48AM on 01/29/09
I've never had it. I remember asking my mom what it was when I was little and she explained what it was. I don't know if either my mom or dad ever had it but it was never on our table.
I am intrigued and scared at the same time...
Butrflygirly at 8:58AM on 01/29/09
I've never tried it, but I'd probably like it if it was made with ground beef...I'm not so sure about jarred beef?
juliebugsmama at 9:10AM on 01/29/09
As a soldier I would be crazy not to say WAY...I make it whenever I can. I also make sausage gravy in the same fashion which the kids go GAGA over. Thats the one breakfast I can count on my kids to come around. God they grew so Fast!
nhfoodie at 9:18AM on 01/29/09
WAY...this reminds me of my childhood. Spending the summer with my grandparents...this was a staple breakfast item :)
CarolynEats at 9:18AM on 01/29/09
Yes and Way.....stick to your ribs food on those cold mornings or evening foods and the mashed potatoes idea oh yeah I'm gonna so do that, thanks for the idea
Markbb at 9:21AM on 01/29/09
Definitely way!
IndyGal at 9:32AM on 01/29/09
@Perky - I, too have never heard of S.O.S. and wondered if it was a joke of some sort. When I started reading through the threads, I realized it was what my Mom always called, "mince." It was made the same way but with the addition of chopped onions and a little parsley. She served it over mashed potatoes - funny, I had forgotten its existence, but I loved it as a kid and now will try it again when I am out of ideas.
bareneed at 9:51AM on 01/29/09
Way--creamed chipped beef on toast, that is (and that's the only thing we called it). Haven't had it in eons...
Lilla at 10:16AM on 01/29/09
Oh my! Talk about good eats! I grew up on this and raised my own family with this. Simple, easy and inexpensive. Here's how: we always used the jarred beef (the large jar makes enough for the family. Make a white sauce (cream sauce, bechamel, whatever you want to call it): melt 4 tablespoons butter/margarine, add 4 tablespoons flour. Stirring constantly, cook for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste. (Do not let it brown - this is called a blonde roux.) Off the heat, slowing whisk in 2 cups milk (hot milk will blend easier), return to heat and, stirring constantly, cook until thickened. DO NOT ADD SALT. Cut or tear beef into small pieces and add to sauce. Let stand for about half an hour to blend flavors. Serve over buttered toast.
You may stretch this even further by using 3 cups of white sauce instead of 2. Just make an extra cup of sauce by dividing the above recipe in half.
NOTE: We never found this too salty, but some people may (dried beef has a lot of salt). If you like, you may remove some of the salt by putting the beef in a strainer and running hot tap water over it. This removes too much of the beef flavor as far as I'm concerned, but the choice is yours.
We not only loved this, and the tuna./peas mentioned by other posters, but we also enjoyed creamed eggs! My kids loved it too - make the above white sauce and add to it 6 (or more) chopped hard-boiled eggs and serve over buttered toast. Makes a great supper, especially during Lent, by adding a vegetable and a nice salad. Add a baked potato if your crew is really hungry.
carol1a at 10:23AM on 01/29/09
Way! I'm with bobcatsteph3 all the way. I miss the East Coast - I need a good diner now!
Hungry in Columbus at 10:43AM on 01/29/09
My mom hated it so much growing up that she never made it for us so I've never had it. I don't think it's something my kids or husband would eat but maybe some day I'll give it a try. So I guess that makes me a maybe.
LizSherman at 11:04AM on 01/29/09
I guess this is just a Daddy staple! It was the only meal my dad ever cooked for us. It was just ground beef in a peppery gravy. I never realized how much I missed it until now.
DCraver at 11:07AM on 01/29/09
Way! Like some of you it brings back memories of my dad. My mom was a nurse who worked full time afternoons (4-midnight) so my dad made us breakfast. He'd cook us SOS and something he called hamburger gravy (basically the same thing as DCraver describes above) over toast. We never had anything 'normal' like cereal or eggs. He's been gone for almost 23 years and I still miss him terribly.
Rottenmom at 11:20AM on 01/29/09
No Way for me - my mom never made it with beef, so I don't think I ever had true S.O.S., she made her version with creamed tuna on toast and I cringed every time I came home from school and smelled it. Yuck.
radley24 at 11:37AM on 01/29/09
Can't say I've ever had this food. So I'm going to have to go with "No Idea"!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 12:01PM on 01/29/09
Definitely way. It's one of my ultimate comfort foods. Mashed potatoes topped with creamed corn served along with it complete the meal. Using Buddig chipped beef is my favorite ......
Gregg at 12:12PM on 01/29/09
Perky, I love you, but the last couple of Way/No Ways have been killin' me. No way to meat, no way to white sauce, and not a big fan of mayo.
HeartofGlass at 12:23PM on 01/29/09
WAY!!! Grew up in PA, Mom called it "dried beef gravy". Oh dried beef gravy night was the best... the toaster came to the table for dinner & my brother and I got to make our own toast (we were sheltered, alright?!?) and we thought it was AWESOME.
I still make it sometimes. But I can never find the perfectly round Armour dried beef anymore, it came in a little glass jar. I have to use the refrigerated packets now... not quite the same. :)
What scares me though is that you can actually buy (in my stores anyway) prepared pouches of "creamed chipped beef". That's moderately disturbing. That's one of those things that HAS to be homemade, IMO.
paMom at 12:36PM on 01/29/09
Isn't it funny how our parents "protected" us from the popular nickname of this creamed ____ on toast?
I realized, after reading your responses, that I have had versions of this. Mom's chicken ala king on toast wasn't too far off. She and I both made versions of beef in cream gravy on mashed potatoes or chicken with gravy and biscuits, and another with creamy tuna on noodles. Not all that different, and I wouldn't have used that term to my children, either.
The breakfast thing surprised me. Am I way off base (speaking of SOS haha), thinking that the breakfast idea is more of a Southern style? Do the military troops get it for breakfast?
PerkyMac at 1:29PM on 01/29/09
this was my father-in-law's go-to meal when my husband was growing up. They still like it...I'm alright with it occasionally as a nostalgia trip for my husband, but I prefer biscuits and gravy - almost the same thing but so much better.
emilywalker at 1:57PM on 01/29/09
@Heart ~ I started a new topic, just for you!
PerkyMac at 2:03PM on 01/29/09
Never had it that I'm aware of. Not sure if I want to.
dbcurrie at 2:04PM on 01/29/09
I grew up with this on the table, too. The other thing my dad always made that he grew up on was pancakes with bologna gravy. Same thing - chunk up unsliced bologna, saute and make a roux, and milk to make gravy and serve over pancakes. This was dinner at least twice a month when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, and I just realized how close to SOS this is!! Yum. I think I 'll make it for dinner tonight!
eatingoutwest at 2:08PM on 01/29/09
WAY. Chipped beef with cream sauce. Freaking delicious. Even the frozen crap is good.
FullOn at 2:20PM on 01/29/09
WAY! I loved this as a kid... I'm so making it for dinner tonight.
ConschBTJ at 3:06PM on 01/29/09
Way, grew up on it as a kid. Both Grandmothers had their versions. I posted about the easy way to do it (http://watkinslynn.typepad.com/pages_pucks_and_pantry/2008/03/small-plates--2.html). Love the stuff. Really is comfort food for me and takes me back to my childhood with my Grandma's. So a big WAY for me. One of these days I need to learn to make it from scratch.
hkydiva at 3:13PM on 01/29/09
My dad was in the navy, and I remember his referring to SOS, he wasn't normally given to cursing, but he had his moments when it came to his memories of being in the service on a submarine during WWII.
It never appealed to me, but I always liked creamed chicken on toast, biscuits, potatoes or rice. Not ala king though... I'll have to make that, as I'd not thought about it 'til now.
Mares at 3:29PM on 01/29/09
I made a mental note to ask my Grandfather about SOS the last time I saw him. My Grandpa is very old fashioned; gruff and mostly silent. When I asked him if he had ever had the ubiquitous dish, he beamed a huge toothless smile. "Love it!" he exclaimed loudly, which made me jump a little.
It turns out, he had been exposed to the dish while serving in the army. He loved it so much, he requested my late grandmother learn how to make it for him when he got home.
My wife and I both enjoy laughing over the story when I make SOS at home.
Carnal at 3:45PM on 01/29/09
I feel rather deprived right now...I'll join Hillary with "No idea!"
brooke29 at 3:51PM on 01/29/09
I grew up on this stuff! So tasty! Perfectly creamy and salty on some toasty bread! Omnomnom!
_greenbean at 3:51PM on 01/29/09
oh, and i think my mom and mommom called it "cream dried beef".
_greenbean at 3:54PM on 01/29/09
Everyone I knew aside from my dad called it "chipped beef on toast".
Mares at 4:06PM on 01/29/09
Way. I was a service brat. My mom was a civilian employee in the mess hall at one of the bases where Dad was stationed. I'm assuming she learned to make it there. I make it with ground beef some nights or tuna and peas other nights and swap out the gravy holder. Noodles, rice, toast, mashed potatoes all take a turn.
coffeefrappe at 4:29PM on 01/29/09
@greenbean We also called it "creamed dried beef on toast" so do most diners here in Philly If anyone is in the area, the BEST I've ever had is served at the Dining Car(they have a website and have been featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives). My mom took this to all kinds of levels. During lent we had cream of mushroom soup on toast. Yep, that's right,
dinner out of a bag and a can. Got to say, did look forward to Lenten Fridays cause that's the only time we ate it!
donnie at 5:47PM on 01/29/09
My favorite food ever. Mom made it growing up and I could never get enough. SOS is my go-to meal; I make it all the time. But OMG the salt in that jarred beef! I knew it was salty but the first time I actually read the package my jaw dropped. 1200mg per serving, a serving being 8 super thin slices! Christ!
sailordave at 6:01PM on 01/29/09
Tried the Stouffer's version that my dad loves...made me gag. I recently stumbled across another version that uses roast and other fresh ingredients. It'll make an appearance at some point soon.
renoles at 6:08PM on 01/29/09
Any prepackaged version stinks. If you want authentic without making it, you need to have it at a diner.
@sailordave: there's nothing good for you about this dish at all! Butter, cream and flour in the sauce and the rest adds up to a stroke on a plate.
But, it is what my family takes me out for on my birthday. No matter what day of the week we go to the diner and I am SOOO happy for the rest of the day.
donnie at 6:18PM on 01/29/09
Ok I have to play devil's advocate here and say NO WAY! It's not that I don't respect SOS and it's devotees in theory- but it brings back bad memories of an ex and his fanaticism for the dish (along with his slightly creepy Dad making it all the time)... It's just one thing I can't go for.
oregonpinot at 7:20PM on 01/29/09
Way! I had it for dinner on Tues. Then had it for breakfast this morning.
jcreamer58 at 7:39PM on 01/29/09
SOS all the way!
My mom would never make it for my dad- she thought it was gross. Clearly in this respect I am my father's daughter. I'd happily tuck into some of that right now!
bisbee at 7:51PM on 01/29/09
I'll be honest. I'm thinking really hard but I don't think I've EVER had it. Not by name for sure and by reading the description, it doesn't sound familiar either. I'm guessing my dad's had it being part-German and military but he only lived with us until I was about 8. After that, my mom's repretoire of food was probably 70% Vietnamese and 30% American foods that my aunts taught her when she moved to the US. SOS must not have been one of those lessons.
CooksForOne at 9:09PM on 01/29/09
@bareneed..oh, mince...love it, had it growing up and still make it to this day. Ground beef, diced onions, diced carrot, thyme, s&p, simmered in water, peas and then thickened with Bisto and served over mash.
One of my great comfort foods!! I want some now!!!
lamora at 10:40PM on 01/29/09
Way- anything with a creamed crap with it drives me to la la land.
pjracz10 at 4:54AM on 01/30/09
I used to eat it alot more often before I started making my own sausage gravy. Its tough to beat sausage gravy on some good biscuits.
jboylan at 8:38PM on 01/30/09
@Gregg you mean the beef Buddig "lunchmeat"? That's totally what we used! Om nom!
nightowl at 2:07AM on 01/31/09
Never think Ive had it,but Id love to try it.
(dd)
donnie at 8:40AM on 01/31/09
I think that the only way I have had it was with ground beef. I would love to have it with ground sausage, bacon or chicken, so Way.
pjracz10 at 1:41PM on 01/31/09